Prompt for Danceofthebloodypetals - Memories
by MochiDeer
Summary: A short prompt for danceofthebloodypetals as a prize, in which Naruto reminisces about his life.


3:30am. Naruto slowly awoke, sprawled out on his desk upon a large stack of paperwork. Yawning, he carefully sat up, peeling a sheet of paper that had stuck to his face and rubbing his eyes gently. He hadn't meant to fall asleep. He hastily stood, cursing himself silently for not sending Hinata some sort of message as he messily pushed all of the papers together before switching off the light. He began towards the door before pausing, pondering, and then turning on his heel and jumping out of the Hokage's office window. It was much faster this way anyway.

The air was cool, much cooler than inside his stuffy office. He slowed his pace to revel in the fresh air. It was quiet. He needed some peace right now. As he walked his mind began to wander. How did Hinata put up with him? It was a mystery. Saying that, she had had a thing for him since...well, since he knew her. Way back in the Genin days. Before that even?  
She was one of the only ones that didn't think of him as a monster back then. Not that he knew at the time of course. He wish he did. Thinking back, she had silently supported him so much back then. He was so thankful for that.

Shikamaru was another who didn't seem to mind about what he was back then. That thought suddenly came to his mind as his pace slowed even more. While most had shunned him and kept their distance, Shikamaru hadn't seemed to care. A small smile crept onto his face.  
And now the lazy ass was his second in command. They had a special sort of bond, a mutual respect that had slowly climbed to fruition over the years. Naruto didn't know what he would do without him.

Of course, things were much better after he returned to the village after his 3 years of training. Sasuke defecting wasn't a good thing, obviously, but he just seemed to...get along with everyone so much more. Him and Kiba were good friends. Sakura had gained a newfound respect for him. Lee, Neji, Chouji, even Ino got along with him well. Pretty much everyone, actually.

Then the Akatsuki struck. He stopped in his tracks for a few seconds as memories flashed through his head. When the artist Deidara had killed Gaara, he didn't know what to think. He bit his lip as his tried not to cry; thinking back to when Chiyo had sacrificed herself for Gaara's sake. Him and Gaara...were special. It was a bond only Jinchuuriki could share together. The blond rubbed at his eye briefly as his frown turned to a smile. Gaara was one of his closest friends. Nothing could ever change that.

Then there was his training with Yamato. It was stressful, but he managed to take out another Akatsuki member, Kakuzu, due to it. He'd learnt a lot from Yamato. Both him and Kakashi, come to think of it. He would never have gotten this far without them. It was funny really, how many teachers had been willing to teach him new techniques despite his past stigma.

When Pein struck it was devastating. It was the first time he saw Hinata confess her feelings. The first time he had seen his father. His sage jutsu was astounding at that time despite being new to it. Man that training was stressful! And having to eat all those disgusting foods...his stomach growled sadly at the thought of it.

He let out a small sigh and cracked his neck from side to side. Some of the things that happened after that were a blur. A lot of memories had been pushed back because of the great ninja war. He shuddered lightly. He never wanted to experience that again. All the death around him...including Neji. His fist clenched as he walked. Neji had deserved better. To sacrifice himself for him...Naruto shook his head and headed up the stairs towards his house. Everyone he knew had sacrificed something during the war. Though everyone he knew had also grown stronger. Had pooled together all of their energy to defeat the threat. It was amazing, really.

Then Sasuke happened. His eyes rolled a little as he fumbled for his key. Sasuke, the goddamn bastard. All the fighting, all the tears, all the screaming...all for Sasuke to turn around and announce he wanted to be Hokage. Ha! What a joke. That final battle they had had together was so full of emotion and painful memories...it was exactly what they needed. What a jerk.

"Oi, stop getting so emotional. You're making me lose my appetite." came the rough voice of Kurama.  
Naruto pulled a face as he softly closed the door behind him.

"Ah shut up ya big fox. It's not often that it happens."

He ignored the soft chuckle that was heard afterwards and headed towards his bedroom. He pulled his coat off and draped it over the back of the couch as he walked through the slightly open door.

Hinata was curled up on the bed, Himawari and Boruto both curled up next to her. It was cute, to say the least. He felt a pang of guilt as he noticed the clock told him it was now 4:15am. How long had he been walking for? And he had to get up early as well...the Seventh rubbed his face as he began to undress. Stuff it. He was going to sleep in tomorrow. If Shikamaru came banging on his door in the morning then he'd just ignore it. Actually, would Shikamaru even be up at that time...?

He exhaled gently as he climbed into bed, face twisting with concentration as he tried to locate a comfortable position between everyone else.  
Hinata's eyes slowly opened as she felt her husbands presence. This was the third time this week...she smiled softly and nestled closer towards him, sighing happily as she felt his arm wrap around her. He was a good husband. And she would love him forever.


End file.
